How to connect Claude to Excel
The GPT for Work add-in lets you run an AI agent powered by Claude right inside Microsoft Excel. Ask it in plain language to write and fix formulas, build charts and pivot tables, format and reorganize data, generate tables, or analyze and summarize a worksheet. It also works row by row across thousands of cells for bulk tasks like translation, categorization, and enrichment. Here's how to connect it:
Step 1: Install the GPT for Excel Word add-in
Install from Microsoft Marketplace: GPT for Excel Word, then choose Open in Excel.
Step 2: Open GPT for Excel Word
Click GPT for Excel Word in the ribbon's Home tab. The add-in opens in a task pane with three tabs: Agent, Bulk tools, and GPT functions.
Step 3: Pick a Claude model in the Agent
Select the Agent tab, then open the model switcher below the prompt box and choose a Claude model. Model selection for the agent lives inside the Agent tab, not in a switcher at the top of the sidebar, and the list you see depends on what is enabled for your space in the dashboard.
The agent runs on the latest Claude Opus models. The bulk tools and GPT functions have their own model switcher and accept a wider Claude line-up, including the faster Sonnet and Haiku models. For the current list, see AI providers and models.
Then describe what you want and the agent does it in your workbook.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an Anthropic API key?
No. Claude is available through the GPT for Work add-in without your own API key, and usage runs on your GPT for Work credits or subscription. Connecting your own Anthropic API key is optional and unlocks additional models, in the agent as well as the bulk tools.
Which Claude models can I use?
The agent runs on the latest Claude Opus models. The bulk tools and GPT functions accept a wider line-up, including the faster Sonnet and Haiku models. The live list is on AI providers and models, and what you can select also depends on what is enabled for your space.
How much does it cost?
GPT for Work is free to install with free credits to start, and no card is required. After that it is pay-as-you-go (credit packs from $29, valid 12 months) or a subscription (from $25 per month). Each task uses credits based on its complexity and the model you choose. See pricing.
What can I do with Claude in Microsoft Excel?
Ask the agent to write and fix formulas, build charts and pivot tables, format and clean data, generate tables, and analyze or summarize your worksheet. You can also run bulk row-by-row tasks like translation, categorization, content generation, and web search.
Why use this instead of Claude for Excel?
Claude for Excel runs Claude and nothing else, and it needs a paid Claude plan. GPT for Work needs neither a Claude subscription nor an Anthropic API key, and it runs Claude and ChatGPT side by side in one add-on across both Excel and Google Sheets, so you can pick the model per task. It is also built for volume rather than one workbook at a time, running a single prompt down a whole column at up to 1,000 rows per minute and up to 1 million rows in one run. In our March 2026 Excel agents benchmark against Copilot and Claude in Excel, GPT for Excel was fastest in 10 of 11 tasks and the only one to complete the 10,000-row run.